C&V for a noobie
 

Hello everyone!

I'm looking into purchasing a bike to fix up. I really like peugeots. My only problem is I can't find a bike my size - 53cm. I'm not really sure where to begin. I can't afford to spend more than $200 straight up. I'm keeping an eye on all surrounding areas craiglists' with no luck. I figure, since its such a specific thing, I should ask for help from people who know what they're talking about (yes, that's you). A friend of mine has an old Peugeot (not sure of the model) but I am pretty sure it's from the 70's. Something like that would be nice. If I haven't mentioned already, a roadbike, not a mountainbike.

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Matthew

Just go find one for yourself. It is pretty easy to do if you use some of the procedures in How To Find Vintage Bicycles.

try to find a good butted steel frame in your size first. brands for around $200 popular among those here include fuji, motobecane, nishiki, miyata, univega and sekai. look for downtube shifters, aluminum rims and an on-frame rear derailleur hanger. braze-ons for racks, cage, shifters and rear brake cable are a plus.

worry about getting a peugeot later. here in seattle, there are a hundred peugeots for sale, but very few that have the characteristics i stated above. many might look cool, but they're over 30 lbs with heavy frames and steel rims. good luck.

Also, though many would disagree, if you want a bike to "fix up" a French bike may not be the way to go. These tend to have many "non-standard" parts, sizes, threads, etc. which could make them more difficult to maintain.

In your price range you don't have much of a choice other than what you're doing. Of course randyjawa's suggestions are great, but searching craigslist daily and hoping to find a decent bike that fits is probably how you'll finally find your bike. Downtube shifters I would say are the main thing to look for - they aren't typically standard on shoddy bikes. With the small size needed (trust me, I know how you feel) it makes it a bit more difficult. Be patient and eventually you'll find a bike you'll love.

Where in Upstate are you? That's my neck of the woods as well and maybe I can help point you in the right direction. I'm on Craigslist daily checking all of WNY for bikes that meet your criteria, but since I already have a couple I'm a bit more choosey.

Shouldn't be that hard to find a bike that works for you. I'm about your size and while I agree that 52/53 is not an easy size to find, you can probably ride a 49cm or a 54 while continuing to look for your ideal. And sizes vary between brands as well, one that is 54cm to the top of the top tube (as Miyata measured for instance) may be 52/53 to the center. My personal stable contains a Motobecane Grand Record, a Pro Miyata, and a Centurion Turbo, which are respectively 53, 54, and 55 cm to the top of the top tube--but I am pretty sure all were sold as being 54cm. I can ride them all fine, though the GR is my favorite.

For pictures in ads where the size is not listed (or is not reliable--which is usually the case) I use as a rough gauge the distance between the top tube and downtube where they meet the head tube. If there's little to no gap between them, it's likely a 49cm. A finger-width or two gap is 52, three to four fingers 54, etc. This allows me at a quick glance to know if the frame is in the ballpark for consideration.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions! I have been looking for a Peugeot because it's what I know (from a friend). The other brands you all have listed I am in the dark about. I'm in UPstate NY, way upstate. 12901, to be exact.

Again, thanks everyone for your suggestions. Will deffinately keep my eyes open and take a look at that link that was posted "How to find Vintage Bicycles."

Besides Craigslist, definitely go to as many yard sales, estate sales, and church rummage sales as you possibly can. And when you are there, ASK the sellers if there might be an old bike for sale if you don't see one. Sometimes there is a bike available that the owner has not bothered to put out because it's stored away. And these will often be bargains.

You know, its really weird. I never looked for garage sales/yard sales until about 1-2 years ago when someone suggested that. Ever since I started looking, or I should say, keeping my eye out for one, I haven't seen any! I will continue to keep my eyes open, though. I will prevail! Thanks!

Peugeots were very popular in the bike boom years, but it is hard to beat Japanese 80s bikes for consistent quality and ease of maintenance. And there are LOTS of them around. Look for: Miyata, Centurion, Fuji, Lotus, all widely-distributed brands with a range of road bikes up to pro level.

Late 80's Peugeots moved more toward the standard parts. Go that route if you're new to this. You can use Searchtempest to search all your local craigslists for peugeots. Another option would just be to search for 53cm and see what pops up.

In addition to those that Al mentioned, keep your eyes out for '80s Treks and some of the '80s Schwinns are quite good as well. I personally would avoid most of the '70s Schwinns because they are usually tanks, but many like them and they are pretty much bullet proof frames.

If 53cm is your "perfect" fit, you probably can fit 50cm to 56cm.
I ride a 58cm, my upper limit, and I can also ride a 50cm.

Also, in regards to fit, a modern 53cm /= C&V 53cm frames. So if you've been told your correct fit is 53cm by a bike shop, that's not necessarily going to transfer to the C&V frames you're searching out.

You will find it, given enough time. Where are you in NY?

Come to think of it, I have a 54cm Peugeot UO-8 frame and fork. The frame needs a little bit of straightening, but I used it as it is as my regular commuter bike, and the defect is pretty slight. It pulls to one side, but I was able to ride it no-hands. You can have it for nothing. Email me if you're interested.

I find bikes all the time, and a 53cm (21 inch) is a very common size. My first recommendation is to be open on other brands. I look for good bikes, and could care less what the brand is. As a result, over the years, I have been introduced to a lot of interesting brands.

Learn to be able to tell the difference between a good bike and a POS, Randy's site is a good place to start. Realize that in the "old days", bottom end was really, really low end. So for every decent vintage bike, there are dozens or even hundreds of crappy ones. I continue to look for bikes at garage sales, but I have the advantage that I am also looking for other stuff. So even though decent bikes are rare at a garage sale, I still find around 15 a year there. And when I do, the prices are attractive, often VERY attractive. Last two garage sale bikes were $15 each....

It should be noted, that bikes found for really attractive prices tend to have one trait in common, the need for work, often a lot of work. So unless you have the time/tools/aptitude/pile of parts, some of these great deals aren't so hot. A bike co-op, if you can find one in your area, is an excellent way to gain access to everything I just mentioned, plus BIKES!


In the 1970s, all the French bikes used obsolete french sized parts. As long as what is on the bike is in good working order, no problem. But when you go to make changes/upgrades, while parts are out there, they are quite a bit more costly than the standard sized stuff.


Also, consider buying a bike (or two) on a road trip, or have family/friends in another area pick one up for you. Pretty much every time I take a road trip, I find desirable bikes at a reasonable price. I'm on a road trip right now, I've passed on four bikes so far, just didn't want to deal with them on a bike rack on the back of the car while I traveled through some really nasty weather.

The more creative you get, the more deals you will find, at more attractive prices.

He's almost in Canada! ;)

map: http://goo.gl/maps/6gLHO

Try old Spokes home in Burlington, They have a bunch of nice bikes.

We ought to have a bikeforums pony express, with each member willing to travel to the next one. Just kidding.

I have a couple of Schwinns, a Univega, and a Vista in approximately that size. If you are willing to drive down I-89 to just into NH, between Christmas and the New Year, one is yours for the taking. Check my website for a contact form and I can email you pictures.

I like that idea!

I will check them out, thank you.

I will keep that in mind! Will be going to Long island during the time period so NH is way out of the way.

email sent. =]

When you find a bike that interests you on something like Craigslist, don't hesitate if the bike looks and is priced right. If you delay even 10 minutes in calling, often it will be gone. Just don't sound too eager....you still want to be able to haggle.

This is a very good summation of how we play the craigslist game.

There are plenty of people that will help you find nice vintage bikes on craigslist. They are called flippers and they make a nice profit by diligently snagging the good deals and then re-selling them at market prices.

If you want to find the good deals for yourself, you need to put in the time to learn how to identify a quality bike and then put in the effort to watch for good deals when they pop up and chase them down as soon as they're available. It can be a lot of work, and you can waste a lot of time on it and a fair amount of money, but for a lot of us the thrill of the hunt is part of the fun.